IOM calls for MU focus on sexual orientation

A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends the collection of data on sexual orientation and gender identity be part of the objectives for achieving meaningful use of electronic health records. The report assesses unique health disparities that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals experience and calls on the National Institutes of Health to implement a research agenda to advance knowledge about LGBT health. "Although a modest body of knowledge on LGBT health has been developed, these populations, stigmatized as sexual and gender minorities, have been the subject of relatively little health research," according to the report.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profits over the past five years, has boosted the pay of board members and top executives while sticking...